Postcambrian stratified rocks of the northern part of the Baikal-Vitim fold area

Abstract

The Ordovician stratified rocks previously referred to Riphean or Vendian are widespread in the northern part of the Baikal-Vitim fold area. They include volcanosedimentary rocks which accumulated in continental riftlike troughs after Vendian-Cambrian platform regime and were accompanied by subvolcanic bodies. The coarse-clastic facies, frequently olistostromes with olistoplaques, are abundant in the marginal parts of the troughs. The sandy-silty-clay rocks dominate in the centre. The volcanic rocks represent the contrast rhyolite-basaltic series and compose paleovolcanoes of the central type, locally, complicated by calderas. Tuffaceous material is nearly almost present in synchronous sedimentary rocks. In the Ordovician, the northern part of the Baikal-Vitim fold area was an uplift of island arc type complicated by the riftlike troughs. It occupied the central part of the Baikal-Vitim arc. The location of the troughs was subjected to its structural plan. They were formed successively after the Riphean-Vendian Baikal-Muya volcano-plutonic belt. The uplift existed within a shallow basin occupying nearly the entire Siberian Platform and Baikal-Vitim fold area. The data obtained confirm that marine sedimentary basin with islands sometimes existed within the Baikal-Vitim fold area and was a part of the basin occupying the adjacent part of the Siberian Platform. The effect of pulsating plume in the northern part of the Baikal-Vitim fold area periodically, including Ordovician, led to the origination of the uplift and to renewal of tectonic and volcano-plutonic activity.